Biden has yet to join Democratic calls for Sen. Menendez of New Jersey to resign
W. James Antle III
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Many Senate Democrats have called on Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) to resign in the wake of his latest bribery indictment, but President Joe Biden and the White House aren’t leading the charge.
“I’m going to be very clear: this is a serious matter. We see this as a serious matter,” press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters at the first daily briefing since the indictment came down. “We believe [the] senator stepping down from his chairmanship was the right thing to do, obviously, the right thing to do.”
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On the question of Menendez’s future, however, the White House has consistently demurred.
“That is up to the Senate body,” Jean-Pierre said. “That is up to the Senate leadership, and that is up to Sen. Menendez. But again, we see this indeed as a serious matter.”
She said much the same thing a day earlier.
“As it relates to anything else, any decision he has to make, that’s certainly going to be up to him and the Senate leadership to decide,” Jean-Pierre said. “But of course, we see this as a serious matter, and I’m just going to leave it there for now.”
Menendez and his wife Nadine stand accused by the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York of taking bribes in the form of gold bars, cash, and a luxury car in exchange for aiding the government of Egypt and businessmen in New Jersey. Investigators uncovered $550,000 in cash and 13 gold bars during a search of his home in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, and a safety deposit box last year. The senator has denied any wrongdoing.
When Menendez was previously indicted in 2015, with similar, but unrelated, corrupt acts by federal prosecutors in New Jersey, his fellow Democrats largely circled the wagons. That hasn’t happened this time around.
Battleground state Democrats who are up for reelection to the Senate next year were among the first to call for Menendez to resign. Sens. Jon Tester (D-MT), Bob Casey (D-PA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and Jacky Rosen (D-NV) are all defending at-risk seats in 2024. They all said the New Jersey Democrat should step down.
“The indictment spells out deeply troubling allegations against Senator Menendez that breach the American people’s trust and compromise his ability to effectively represent his constituents,” Baldwin said in a statement.
“I’ve read the detailed charges against Senator Menendez and find them deeply disturbing,” Tester said. “While he deserves a fair trial like every other American, I believe Senator Menendez should resign for the sake of the public’s faith in the U.S. Senate.”
“While he is entitled to the presumption of innocence, serving in public office is a privilege that demands a higher standard of conduct. Senator Menendez should resign,” Casey said.
But the calls for Menendez to exit the Senate aren’t confined to Democrats worried about their reelection prospects. Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), who just won his seat last year, took a break from fighting the Senate dress code to not only call for an “honorable exit” for Menendez but also to say he would return his colleague’s financial contributions in envelopes stuffed with $100 bills.
Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) has publicly declared that the man he has described as a mentor should leave Congress, following Gov. Phil Murphy (D-NJ). Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), the second-ranking Democrat in the upper chamber, has done the same.
Senate Democrats haven’t turned so sharply against a member of their own conference since Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) faced sexual harassment allegations at the height of the MeToo movement. Franken ultimately resigned.
Nevertheless, President Joe Biden joining the chorus would introduce additional pressure. Menendez, who is up for reelection next year himself, would be repudiated by the leader of his party. Even if this failed to get Menendez to quit, it would be helpful to a Democratic primary challenger.
Biden, who has his own problems with an impeachment inquiry, the indictment of son Hunter Biden, and a protracted fight over funding the federal government, seems unlikely to take that step for the foreseeable future. The Senate has a narrow 51-49 Democratic majority which is a risk in next year’s election.
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“I can’t speak to the public trust,” Jean-Pierre told reporters. “What I can speak to is this president, at least as it relates to the Senate. That’s for Senate leadership to speak to. That’s for Sen. Menendez to speak to, about how the public views the work that they’re doing and how they’re moving forward.”
Menendez remains defiant. “Throughout this whole process, I firmly believe after all the facts are presented, not only will I be exonerated, but I will still be New Jersey’s senior senator,” he said.